Protective shield support



July 22, 1941. J; T. RIDDELL PROTECTIVE SHIELD SUPPORT Filed Aug.- 12,1940 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 July 22 1941.

J. r. RIDDELL PROTECTIVE SHIELD SUPPORT Filed Aug. 12, 1940 4Sheets-Sheet 2 July'zz, 1941- J. T. RiDDELL 2,250,275

PROTECTI VE SHIELD SUPPORT Filed Aug. 12, 1940 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 y 22,1941- J. T. RIDDELL. 2,250,275

PROTECTIVE $HIELD SUPPORT 7 Filed Aug. 12, 1940 I 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 partof tension elements that transmit the strains Patented July 22, 1941UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE rao'rao'rrvn sun-1w surron'r 7 mm '1.Riddell, Chicago, 111. Application August 12, 1940, Serial No. 352,215

7 Claims.

This invention relates to mounting upon the body of the wearerprotective shields for resisting shock, such for example as the helmets,chin ticular reference to an arrangement of straps.

mounted within the shield in such manner as to yieldingly space the samefrom the head or other A body part of the wearer.

The main objects of this invention are to provide an improved form ofcushioning means in the interior'of hollow or interiorly concaveshields. which cushioning means is made up for the most of the shocks;to provide a structure of this kind that is particularly adapted for usein shields made of stiff substantially rigid material, such as footballhelmets, chin guards and body protectors made of solidified plasticmaterials; and particularly to provide an improved form of head gear andbody protector for use by football players.

A specific embodiment of this invention is shown in the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a football helmet in such dispositionas to display a portion. of the internal equipment by means of which itis mounted on the head of the wearer and adapted to resist shocks.

Fig. 2 is an inside view of the chin guard.

Fig. 3 is a view 'of the helmet as it would appear from the bottom withits side walls in section at the level indicated by the broken line 3-3of Fi .1. 7

Fig. 4 is a side elevation showing the head gear and chin guard in theirassembled relation to each other on the head of the wearer.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a shoulder and chest protector showingthe same as mounted on the body of the wearer.

Fig. 6 is an inside view of one of the two members comprising the deviceof Fig. 5, showing the arrangement of the suspension and cushioningmeans.

Fig. 'l is a perspective view of a leg protector as positioned on thebody of the wearer.

" Fig. 8 is a sectional view of the same as taken on line 8-8 of Fig.'1. 1

Fig. 9 is an inside view of the same.

Fig. 10 is a perspective view of a hip protector embodying theinvention, and,

Fig. 11 is a sectional view of on line ll-l| of Fig. 10.

For the purpose of illustration of the present invention, the drawingsshow the protective shield in the form of a football player's head andbody gear in which the main outer shell is made of suitable solidifiedplastic material; such as cellulose nitrate, cellulose acetate, venylresin and the like; but for the purposes of this invention, the shellmay be of any appropriate stiff material that is rigid enough andsufliciently strong to resist the kind of shocks for which it isdesigned and it is an essential feature of this invention to providecushioningv meansof such nature that the majority of the shocks receivedupon the shield shell or helmet will be transmitted only indirectly tothe body 01 the wearer and will be resisted mainly by the pull oftension elements of the structure upon points on the shell remote fromthe point at which the shock is received.

' In accordance with the present invention, the outer shell is of stiffmaterial, as aforesaid, and is shaped to conform generally with theshape of the body part that it is intended to protect which, in the caseof the shell I of the helmet, would be the head of the wearer, and is ofsuch size that this shell wall will for the most part of its area bespaced a substantial distance from the surface of the wearer's head.

In the form shown in Figure 1, the helmet shell is provided with cheekextensions 2 which are equipp d with internal sponge pads 3 that bear onthe wearer's face at points on his cheeks below and forward of his ears.These are the only pads of this nature that are used in this particularhelmetand that perform the usual function of such pads for directlyresisting shock. Shocks on the shell at any point remote from these padsare resisted by tension members of the shield supporting structurewhichtransmit their strains to the shell body.

the same as taken The helmet shell is shaped so as to protect theforehead and temples of the wearer and its front edge 4 is positionedslightly above the position of the eyes of the wearer while its rearedge 5 extends down over the nape of the wearer's neck.

The support against downward pressure or shock on the top of the shellis provided by a series of radiating straps Gwhose lower ends aresecured to the helmet shell by rivets 1 and whose upper ends are foldedand secured upon themselves to form loops 8 through which a cord 9 isdrawn in such manner as to form a crown-like sling resting on thewearer's head, so as to space the topof the shell about an inch or moreabove his head.

Lateral spacing of the shell structure from the wearer's head isaccomplished by providing a head band III that encircles the wearer'shead,

I the shell at the level of application of this being preferably of thesame sizeas the sweat band of a hat for that wearer and this head bandis carried by a series of chordal suspension straps I I arranged aboutthe head band in in the manner shown in Fig. 3. These suspension strapsll may be fixedly fastened or anchored by the same rivets I which fastenthe crown sling straps 6.

To this end the rivets 1 are arranged about the mid-height of the headband I 0. The straps H are stretched taut in chordal relation to theconcave areas l2 of the shell that are subtended or bridged by thesestraps and the straps I l have their medial portions fixedly secured oranchored as at I3 to the head band H) which, on account of the numberand position of the straps II, is thereby distorted to polysided form.The effect of this is that, when the head band is slipped into positionover the head of the wearer, it will conform approximately to the dottedline H of Fig. 3, causing the taut suspension straps Ii to be slightlybowed inwardly and to be placed under additional strain; thus ratherdefinitely positioning the shell upon the head in approximatelyuniformly spaced relation thereto in the vicinity of the head band. Thehead band It preferably has a moistureresistant cover l5 over the frontportion thereofthat contacts with the skin of the wearers foreead. A

By this arrangement of tension members represented by the tautly drawnsegments of the head band l0 and chordal straps II, it will be seen thata shock at any point about the surface of the helmet is not transmitteddirectly to the wearers head in the vicinity of the blow' but istransmitted by slings, made up of portions of these tension members, andthus spread. over a large area of the wearers head and through theentire network of straps is carried to all of the rivets I and resistedby the stiffness of the shell against bending at those points.

The resultant effect is that the stiff shell and the head of the wearercannot be brought together at any point by any shock which is within thelimits that can be withstood by the shell and suspension means whichconnect it with the wearers head. In other words, if a blow is receivedupon the shell at any point, the force of the blow will be transmittedin the form of a thrust at both sides of the point of impact and thisthrust will be transmitted by all of the rivets I that are remote fromthe point of impact to those parts of the chordal suspension straps thatare directed toward that lies adjacent said point of impact; but theforce to the head of the wearer is distributed over the entiresemicircumferential part of the head band that has its mid pointopposite the point of impact.

A neck sling similar to that afforded by the aforesaid headband systemis attached in the neck portion of the helmet. This sling is made upof-chordal straps l6 spanning inwardly concave areas of the shieldsurface and a secondary strap II that is attached to the mid points l8of the chordal straps it. These straps are assembled so as to benormally stretched taut and fixedly secured or anchored in the samemanner as the segments of the head band and its chordal suspensionstraps.

The chin guard I9 is made of stiff material, preferably the same as thatof the helmet proper 'and its inside concave surface is spanned by aseries of straps constituting primary chordal strap I elements 20secured to the shell by rivets 2| and the segment of the head bandslingstrap elements 22 secured in taut relation between mid points 23 of thetaut chordal straps 20. The segments of these two sets of straps thatform the extremities 24 of the sling systems are preferably double. Ifind that three of these sling systems arranged about as shown in Fig. 2provide adequate support for the chin guard.

In order to attach the chin guard to the cheek portions of the helmet,the chin guard is provided with a pair of tongues 25, molded integrallywith the marginal portions of the shell l9. The cheek portions of thehelmet have integrally molded clips 26 for the purpose of embracingthese tongues 25. These tongues and clips serve to position the chinguard on a helmet and a strap 21 extends around the chin guard and hasits ends fastened to the cheek pieces so as to serve the double purposeof securing the chin guard to the helmet and fastening the helmet firmlyupon the head of the wearer. Guide clips 28, molded integrally on thechin guard serve to position and maintain this strap as shown in Fig. 4.

With the exception of the two resilient pads 3 at the lower extremitiesof the cheek pieces, the helmet is suspended on the head of the wearerand cushioned therefrom entirely by means of flexible slings and tautlydrawn flexible chordal suspension elements, and not only does thisafford protection against shocks as aforesaid, but it spaces the helmetawayfrom the wearers head in such a manner as to provide for maximumfreedom of ventilating air flow.

The cheek pieces 2 of the helmet are equipped with fastening means for achin strap comprising a snap fastener stud 29 on one of the cheek pieces2 and a pair of parallel slots 30 that provide a buckle formation on theother cheek piece 2. The chin strap 21 is provided with a snap fastenersocket 3| at one end for engagement with the snap fastener stud 29 andits opposite end is laced through buckle studs 30 as will be readilyunderstood.

Other arrangements and embodiments of my invention are illustrated inFigs. 5 to 11 inclusive and comprise various portions of footballplayers protective gear. Figs. 5 and 6 illustrate the inventlon asapplied to a shoulder and chest protector comprising two half-sectionsor members 32 and 33 of suitable stiff material, one fitting over andaround each shoulder, laced together to secure the protector on the bodyof the wearer and to complete the assembly of the device. In thisdevice, as in the helmet show n'in Figs. 1, 3 and 4, the suspensionmeans comprise primary chordal straps or tension members 34, extendingfrom front to back of the protector, across the concave portions of thesame, connectedat intermediate points to the protector shell and havingsling strap elements 35 secured in taut relation between midpoints ofthe primary chordal segments. The four corners of each half-section thatmight contact the body of the wearer are provided with resilient pads36. Otherwise all padding or cushioning in the device is provided by thesuspension means.

The members 31 are shoulder caps or guards hinged to the respectiveshells 32 and 32 at the pivots 38 and arranged to overlie the openingsthrough which the wearers arms are extended. These caps are alsoprovided with the chordal suspension means of my invention to cushionthe wearer's body from shock.-

Figs. 7, 8 and 9 illustrate a leg protector 33 made of suitable stiffmaterial and-concaved to the leg contour. This device has a plurality ofthe before described chordal suspension means spaced acmss its inner orconcave side and the entire margin of the inner surface is provided witha resilient cushion means 40 where the said margin might contact thebody of the wearer in use. p The principal cushioning suspension in thisdevice, as in the others described, is provided by the primarychordal'straps and the sling straps thereto attached.

Figs. and 11 illustrate the invention as embodied in a hip protectormade of suitable stiff material such as a suitable plastic, the devicebeing in the form of a shell 4| shaped to fit around the wearers hipsand having laced-on depending flaps or guards 42 for the thighs. In thisdevice, as in the others described, the cushioning suspension isprovided by a plurality of spaced chordal straps extending around theconcaved interior of the protector and having sling straps secured atintermediate points between spaced points of fastening where the chordalsegments are joined to the protector shell or body. As shown suchsuspension is provided in both the shell 41 and in the flaps 42. Alsoresilient cushion members 43 are provided at points on the interior ofthe hip protector shell where contact with the wearers body might occur.

Although the several specific embodiments of this invention that areherein shown and described for the purpose of illustration are offootball players protective gear, it will be understood that theinvention is also applicable to other forms of protective shields forother purposes and that numerous details of the devices shown may bealtered or omitted without departing from the spirit of the invention asdefined by the following claims.

I claim:

1. A shield for personal wear, comprising a stiff shell having agenerally concavely curved cross section for overlying a convex portionof the wearers body, flexible primary chordal straps stretched acrosssuccessive arcuate regions of the shield and anchored thereto andarranged in angular relation to each other in substantially the sameplane, and a secondary strap bridging the angle between the primarystraps and anchored to the primary straps between their anchorages,whereby all of said straps will cooperate under tension to space theshield from the wearers body for resisting shocks on said shields 2. Ashield for personal wear, comprising a stiff shell having a generallyconcavely curved cross section for overlying a convex portion ofthewearers body, a series of flexible primary chordal straps stretchedacross successive arcuate regions of the shield and anchored thereto andarranged in angular relation to each other in substantially the sameplane, and a series of secondary straps bridging the respective anglesbetween the primary straps and anchored to the primary straps betweentheir anchorages, whereby all of said straps will cooperate undertension to space the shield from the wearers body for resisting shockson said shield.

.3. A shield for personal wear, comprising a stifi shell having agenerally concavely curved cross section for overlying a convex portionof the wearers body, a series of flexible primary chordal strapsstretched across successive arcuate regions of the shield and anchoredthereto and arranged in angular relation to each other in substantiallythe same plane, and a series of secondary straps bridging the respectiveangles between the primary straps and anchored to the primary strapsbetween their anchorages, said secondary straps forming a closed bandadapted to flex about said convex portion of the wearers body andcooperate with said primary strapsfor between'their anchorages.

5. A protective helmet comprising a stiff shell, a series of radiatingsuspension straps secured to each other and to said shell to form acrownlike cradle to space the wearers head from the top of'saidshell, ahead band within said shell below said crown-like cradle and spacedinwardly from said shell, and a series of chordal straps stretchedacross successive arcuate regions ofsaid shell in the plane of said headband and anchored to the shell in angular relation to each other, saidhead-band having portions bridging the angles between the chordal strapsand anchored to the chordal straps at points between their anchorages.

6. A protective helmet, comprising a stifi shell, a head band enclosedby said shell and spaced inwardly therefrom, and a series of chordalstraps stretched across successive arcuate regions of said shell in theplane of said head band and anchored to the shell in angular relation toeach other, said head band having portions bridging the angles betweenthe chordal straps and anchored to the chordal straps at points betweentheir anchorages and a neck sling structure at the back of said helmetand comprising chordal strap subtending successive arcuate regions ofsaid shell and anchored thereto in angular relation to each other in aplane below said head band, and secondary straps subtending an anglebetween adjacent chordal straps and anchored -to the chordal strapsbetween their anchorages.

7. A helmet comprising a head shell and a chinguard shell of stiffmaterial each having contending adjacent arcuate regions of the shell,be-

ing anchored thereto and arranged in angular relation to each other insubstantially the same plane, and a secondary strap'bridging the anglebetween the primary straps and anchored to the primary straps betweentheir anchorages whereby said straps will cooperate under tension tospace the shell from the wearers head.

JOHN T. BIDDEIL.

